No, Pedophilia Is Not Related To Joseph And Mary

As I’m sure you’ve seen, Roy Moore is being accused of pedophilia. I don’t know if the story is true or not, but that’s not what I want to discuss. I want to discuss the reaction the Alabama State Auditor, Jim Ziegler, had about these allegations. “Take the Bible. Zachariah and Elizabeth for instance. Zachariah was extremely old to marry Elizabeth and they became the parents of John the Baptist,” Ziegler explained. “Also take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus.”

There’s a lot to unpack here, but I’d like to start with saying those were more primitive times and there are still areas where child marriage happens and needs to be fought against and ended. Period. Hard stop. Moving on to Joseph and Mary. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God then you believe in the Virgin Birth, the keyword being virgin. The Holy Ghost gifted Mary with child, not some act of pedophilia and it’s a shame that would even be used to excuse such a vulgar act.

Also, Mary and Joseph’s age are not said in the bible. There are plenty of speculations, but it is not written in any of the stories. If you go by Jewish tradition at the time, Mary would’ve been a teenager. If you go by Mary’s trip to see Elizabeth, she would’ve been a young adult. If you go by previous stories, had Joseph been much older it would’ve given his age.It is all speculation and certainty should be told with extreme caution, if at all. Also, the Bible says that their marriage was not even consummated until after Jesus was born. There is much to be said about a consenting relationship and an oppressive one. Pedophilia is not about loving one another mutually. It is a power play and one-sided. Joseph did not want to be with Mary because he wanted to oppress her. He treated her with dignity and respect.

I’d also like to point out that we shouldn’t be using the Bible to justify any acts that go against the teachings of Jesus and God’s will for His people. A simple, “I don’t know what to believe about this story. If it’s true, he needs to seek kelp,” would’ve been sufficient. No, instead this person basically called this a smear campaign while smearing the earthly parents of Jesus! As if onlookers didn’t have enough reason to be skittish about accepting Jesus, here comes this guy saying Jesus came from pedophilia! As I have stated before in my Open letter to American Evangelists, I wish these people would call themselves something else and leave Jesus out of this!